What is the order of power in Australian government?

Positions in the Australian Parliament and how they relate to each other. Shows the make up of the Parliament, the government and the opposition.

People in Parliament.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

People in Parliament.

Positions in the Australian Parliament and how they relate to each other. Shows the make up of the Parliament, the government and the opposition.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Description

This diagram shows a number of positions in the Australian Parliament and how they relate to each other.

The Australian Parliament is made up of the Monarch (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate and the House of Representatives. The President of the Senate runs the meetings of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives runs the meetings of the House of Representatives.

The Government is made up of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Government in the Senate, ministers (the Executive) and backbenchers. The Opposition is made up of the Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, shadow ministers and backbenchers.

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The Australian Constitution gives the Governor-General executive power. This means the Governor-General has been given certain powers to act on behalf of the King. However, the role of the Governor-General is not just defined by the Constitution but also by custom and tradition.

While Executive power is exercised by the Governor-General, in reality this is normally done on the advice of the Prime Minister and ministers, who have day-to-day responsibility for governing Australia. They regularly inform the Governor-General about their work.